A Romance Of The Mind
by Softrock-showtunesgirlscout22
Summary: David felt lost without Sydney. She did too. Their relationship had always been one in which they could function, Safe in the corners of their mind. Until now.
1. Chapter 1

**A Romance Of The Mind**

 **David felt lost without Sydney. She did too. Their relationship had always been one in which they could function, Safe in the corners of their mind.**

 **Until now.**

 **Prologue**

The first time they actually touched was thanks to Cary's treatment. For David it was a device, for Sydney it took a bit longer to develop an antidote. Could it be called that?

They could always go back to the White Room. They'd hide in David's room. Sat next to each other but never touched. Not physically anyway.

David had called it a romance of the mind. And for a long time, it really was.

That was until Cary managed for Sydney to be close to David, to anyone for the first time in her life.

"Syd?"

"I'm not sure about this." She'd told him. "What if this doesn't work... what if…"

"There are a lot of if's for a lot of things." David said. He had been assuming most of them since knowing the truth about who he was. "Like what if the Shadow King hadn't tried to get to me? Or what if I'd never met you?" He smiled softly. "We promised we'd at least try, right?" Sydney nodded.

"I just…" her lip quibbled. "I just don't want to lose us. What we have."

Cary instantly gazed at Kerry. "Babe…" David sighed.

"Trust me." He answered back. "Please Syd."

She didn't to be told twice. Ever since meeting David she'd been able to see him succeed in regards of his abilities. He'd gone from disbelief to finally finding himself and being able to control them.

Sydney wanted that too and according to Cary, this was meant to work. Not enough to strip her off her abilities just enough for her to experience life at its fullest without pain.

"Are you ready?" Cary asked. Sydney glanced at David. His smile was reassuring. Just like everything else was about him was to her.

"I'm here baby." He told her sweetly. He leaned his head, inches from hers.

They still couldn't touch.

Not yet.

Sydney took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Memories of her and David in the White Room flooded her mind.

" _I'm here, I'm real."_

 _Who teaches us to be normal when we're one of a kind? Just promise me, if you get lost, we get lost together_.

* * *

" _Mommy! Mommy help me!" The cry of a desperate child filled the room. Steps were instantly heard on the other side of the door, cries became whimpers as the boy spotted his mother._

 _"Luke baby, what is it?" She asked softly. She touched his arm reassuringly. "Bad dream again?" He nodded._

 _"Come here." She scooted into bed and held him close, his clothes were damp. "Want to tell me about it?" The little boy waved his head._

 _"Can I go sleep in your bed?" She bit her lip. They couldn't keep going like this but she knew it wasn't the child's fault. "Baby…"_

 _"What's going on here?" A voice said from the door. Matching blue eyes met for a moment. "Everything okay?"_

 _"Someone's having nightmares again."_

 _"I'm sorry." Luke lowered his head embarrassed._

 _"Hey." His father moved to the bed, shared a glanced with his mother and knelt in front of him. He was a bit warm. He closed his eyes. "Never apologize for that buddy, alright? Mommy and I will never let anything bad happen to you."_

 _"Promise?"_

* * *

Sydney?" Cary asked. "Are you okay?"

"Did it work?" She asked. She had to brush off the feeling in her chest. Her and David with a…

"We're about to find out." Sydney moved to look at David as he knelt in front of her. Oh he was just so sweet. She really didn't deserve him.

"Slowly at first, okay?" He said. She swallowed hard. "If it's too much Syd..."

"I'll tell you." She smiled. He moved his hand to touch hers. Gloves long forgotten.

Sydney closed her eyes once more. And then she felt it. Him.

The warmth of his touch. It wasn't an illusion.

"How do you feel?" Cary asked.

She felt tears stain her cheeks. "David.."

"I know baby." David held her tighter. "Can I try something?" He blinked a couple times, not wanting to push her.

"What?"

"Is it going to be something disgusting? Kerry asked rolling her eyes. David glared at her.

"Go ahead." Sydney told him. Not wanting to let go of his hand. He leaned his lips to her hand and kissed it.

Oh, it was the sweetest feeling, a feeling as beautiful as the one she'd felt when they'd' been together for the first time.

"I am still not sure how long the effects last." Cary told them. "And I also don't want you to push your body more than you need to," He shared a glance with David. "Let's take it slow."

* * *

That night she laid next to David, in their bed like any other night. A cushion between them. She was looking at him as he slept. She wanted to reach for him, only her hands were naked and she wasn't sure just how effective Cary's drug was. "What are you thinking about?" David asked softly.

"Arent you suppoused to know?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Not if I don't want to."

"You seem to want to." She replied. He chuckled.

"Funny, okay, but I'd rather you told me."

Sydney bit her lip. "Remember you said we could actually live happily ever after?" David nodded. "What if we actually could."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want children?" There, she'd said it. And his face didn't register what she'd said, not right away.

"Do you?"

"With you, I do." She said without thinking. "I want everything, all of it with you babe, you know that, I love you more than anything."

"You had a vision didn't you?" She raised her head. "You saw something."

"How do you…"

"Because I've had them too." David confessed. "I fantasize about what it would be to be a normal human being." He smiled grimly. "Pathetic, huh?"

"Hey, don't say that. Not to me." She scolded him. She wanted to kiss him. Her body was begging her for some contact. "David…"

"What?"

"I want to try again." It wasn't a question. He looked puzzled for a moment. They hadn't done anything beyond making out and holding hands but he didn't want to push it.

"Please babe, you've been patient, for such a long time, and I just…"

"Syd, I don't think we should. You heard what Cary said."

"I don't care." She said quickly, "Please, I can take it."

David debated with himself for a moment. He moved his hand to the nightstand were a bag rested. Cary had made enough of the drug for a few tries but they had just tested it hours before.

"Are you sure?"

"We promised we'd try, didn't we?" She heard her say, he nodded and sat up straight on the bed, taking the small bottle with blue liquid and a syringe.

"I love you."

"I love you Syd."

If being together with David in the White Room had been mind blowing for Sydney, it really didn't compare to the real thing. The moment she felt him being one with her, inside her. Everything she'd known changed forever.

"Syd?" She hadn't realized she'd been crying. "Do you want me to stop?" He looked genuinely worried.

"No. Don't you dare stop. I just…I've never thought I'd be with you beyond, you know our minds and it scares me."

She had to be honest. She had never lied to him. She couldn't.

"I would never hurt you Sydney." He told her. She felt him kiss her hand and then lowered his face to her lips. She granted him access, tasting his own tears.

She didn't like to feel this helpless, not ever but as she kissed him, she did not want to lose the feeling of being close to him.

She needed it.

* * *

 _David felt a warm body next to him, curled up in a ball, stains of dry tears the only evidence of the nightmare that had been the night before. Next to he small body was Sydney. She was just as peacefully sleeping. He didn't dare to wake them._

 _"Babe?"_

 _"Did I wake you?" He turned to face her._

 _"No, the baby…he or she thinks my bladder is there for its own amusement." David smiled._

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _"You should be. It's your fault." She smiled._

 _"No, no baby. I seem to remember you were there too." He gazed at her playfully._

 _She turned serious. "David, what are we going to do about the nightmares? He can't keep going like this." David started at the little boy between them._

 _"I'll work with him." He told her. "It's a process Syd. He'll learn to control it in time. "_

 _"How much time?"_

 _"Don't go mama bear on me baby. Soon, I promise."_

 _"I just, I hate too see him looking so scared, he reminds me of…"_

 _"Me? Yeah, my abilities could be pretty scary. He could be."_

 _They felt the little boy stir between them._

 _"Good morning sleepyhead." Sydney brushed the blonde curls away from his face._

 _"Hi." Luke stared at them. "Can we have breakfast?"_

 _"Of course, are you feeling better?" He nodded._

 _"Lets go then." Sydney kissed his forehead. "It's daddy's turn to make us something." David made a face which caused Luke to giggle._

 _"Pancakes?" He asked._

 _"With che_ _rry?"_

 _"Is there any other way?" He got out of bed following Sydney's lead, grabbing the little boy by the waist as he went. Only to lift him on his shoulders as he giggled._

* * *

"Babe?" Sydney asked. David opened his eyes to stare at her. "Are you okay?" His eyes were blank. "David?"

"Syd, do you know that thing you said about having kids?" She frowned.

"Yeah?"

"Lets think about that."


	2. Chapter 2

**A Romance Of The Mind**

 **David felt lost without Sydney. She did too. Their relationship had always been one in which they could function, Safe in the corners of their mind.**

 **Until now.**

 **Chapter 1**

She no longer carried a pillow when she went into his room, their room. But today she had. still struggling with the idea of them being this close without the drug.

She'd only dreamt of it.

"Hi." He smiled.

"Hey." She blushed. She didn't before. "I can't believe you're in bed before me." She teased him.

"Memory work is hard." He admitted. "Melanie says I have to get better and try to get a hold of my emotions."

Sydney lowered her face. He tried to kiss her but she pushed him back.

"Your abilities are linked to your emotions, so…" she reached to the side to put a barrier between them.

"And right now, they are really confused." She stared at her.

"I haven't taken it." She seemed ashamed. "It will help me sleep better if I know…"

"Syd, it's not like I'm going to do something you don't want me to, I would never.."

"I know, I just… can we stay like this tonight?"

"Sure." He smiled softly. He leaned in inches close to her and yet made no effort to make contact. "Good night."

* * *

 _Sydney woke up first. She knew David had been restless the night before so she'd let him sleep._

 _It was funny really just how much he took after the kids, when they were meant to be the other way around. And yet sometimes David was just as innocent as a child. It had been how he'd lead life, she understood. His abilities had affected him that way while she'd been forced to grow up and make sense of her world at a very early age. Him on the other hand, had been locked away. Deprived of a lot of things he should have experienced._

 _Their home was quiet at this hour. Syd thought that soon enough the silence would end... when they had a new baby._

 _A new baby. Years ago that had seemed quite impossible. Yet, she and David had become pretty good at impossible._

 _"What are you doing up?" A voice came behind her. She smiled softly._

 _"I just… needed a minute."_

 _David raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"_

 _"No. Why would it had to be?" She asked. "Are you?"_

 _"Me? I'm fine."_

 _"David…"_

 _"I forget I share a bed with you now." He joked. "It's nothing Syd, really just…"_

 _"Have you been speaking to your British self again?"_

 _It wasn't a joke. Not to her._

 _"Maybe a little." He smirked, she walked closer to the counter where he sat. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."_

 _"Oh? About?"_

 _"Going home. To Summerland."_

 _They had left Melanie and the others for a chance of a somewhat better environment, far away from people as they could, but in all honesty they both missed it._

 _"Why?"_

 _"I just have this feeling…." He was an empath after all. "No, never mind, I don't want you to worry. It's not good for the baby."_

 _"Babe.."_

 _That was the end of it because Luke had walked right in._

 _She had yet to give herself a shot, so she couldn't really touch David even if she wanted to. Luke was another story, Cary's theory was that because she'd carried them for 9 months, her children were inmune to her abilities._

 _Yet she wasn't to theirs. "Good morning baby,"_

 _"Morning." He was a bit sleeply still._

 _"Where's your brother?" David asked. Just as on cue another blonde head, a lighter one full of curls graced the kitchen._

 _Max was a mini version of Sydney, after all, Luke took after David. Their youngest son was far more attached to her. Still his blue eyes sparkled. And his smile, half smirk was all David. Sydney picked him up "So good for you to join us mister." She smiled. "Are you hungry?"_

 _The little boy nodded. "Here. Sit with daddy." David took the little boy and sat him on his lap._

 _"Cereal okay?" She asked. She wasn't much of a cook. That was something she couldn't really muster. No matter how hard she tried. She began to pour in their respective bowls._

 _"Mom?" He said suddenly. Sydney had taken a seat between her husband and son._

 _"Yes, Luke?"_

 _"When is the baby coming?" His random question made his parent share a glance._

 _"Soon." Maybe sooner than she'd like. The place was getting a little crowded and money, well money was… "why?" She could notice his demeanor change._

 _It had occurred to them for that Luke was far more mature for his age. And Sidney knew that face too well._

 _It was one his father made too. In fact he'd made it earlier._

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night, panting in pure terror. David was calling her name.

Tears in her eyes.

"Sydney? Wake up!" He called worriedly.

"I..." he tried to reach for her, "Don't." She curled away from his grasp.

He sighed loudly. "Tell me."

"Lenny." Or rather what she represented. "She…she killed everyone."

David smiled softly. "It was a dream Syd."

"Our dreams are not only that." She chided.

"No." He said grimly. They had yet to find the Shadow King or Lenny. They were silent for a minute.

"Can you… can you hold me?" She asked. David arched an eyebrow. "Here." She took the shot and gave it to him. It took a few minutes to kick in.

"You okay?"

I'm fine." She said as the pain subsided. "Kiss me?"

He did as he was told. It began slowly. Almost shy. "Do you call that a kiss?" She joked.

He pulled her closer, the pillow long forgotten. He bit her bottom lip. "Better." She laughed.

* * *

 _The park was empty today as they walked. It was in fact too cold outside for any sensible person._ _Except for them. Luke warbled the best he could in his thick jacket as David held Max._

 _They were quiet. Too quiet._

 _"Maybe we should just go home?" Sydney suggested. Her coat didn't seem that thick anyway._

 _"What do you think baby?" She asked Luke._

 _"But you promised." He said. His hands weren't cold but his ears were red. It made her heart break a little. They barely went out._

 _"We did promise." David reasoned. Sydney rolled her eyes._

 _"Fine. I'm just gong to stay here for a bit, okay?" She was way too pregnant for this anyways. "You go ahead with Daddy."_

 _"You know what boys…maybe we should, " she grabbed his arm. Her lips didn't move._

 _" **No, they've been inside for a while. Let them be here. I'm fine ."**_

 _David wanted to argue with her and yet Max kept holding on to his shoulder. "Monkey bars? Let's go."_

 _To the children's pure delight and a bit of Syd's, he put Max down only to have both of them lifted up in the air. Max giggled as he put his arms forward, making a whooshing sound._

 _What kid didn't dream of flying?_

 _"There." David landed them safely._

 _"Will I do that too?" Luke asked._

 _"Are you kidding? You were born to, literally, we just need to practice " He said with a smile._

 _"Can we do it with Max? He likes it."_

 _"Lets try it with your toys first. We don't want to get in trouble with mommy," He told him. Safely in Luke's head._

 _The boy smiled._

 _Sydney glanced over at her boys, it wasn't really anything else she'd rather be doing than listen to their laughter. How David swiftly picked the boys back in the air to fly them back. She gave him a disapproving glance._

 _He was truly worse than a child. Max ran straight to her as he was on the ground._

 _"What?" David asked._

 _"You're not funny." He shared a wink with Luke as they began to walk towards walk back. "Either of you."_

* * *

 _"I wonder if we'll have a girl this time." Sydney said absent minded for a second, rubbing her belly . "We are in need of girl power here, literally. " David came out of the bathroom , joining her in bed._

 _"We could find out. There are ways." He told her._

 _"No." She said. "I'm just hoping, that's all." They felt the room rattle ._

 _"Luke." David said. "Stay here."_

 _It was in fact his son causing it. As he grew his abilities became more prominent. "Buddy?" ._

 _"I can't stop it." Luke said, struggling. David smiled softly._

 _"You just have to quiet the noise around you," Luke closed his eyes as David moved to the bed. "just picture it in your head. Like you had this stereo and you found the mute button. "_

 _David waited, touching his face, he watched as Luke relaxed. "Better?"_

 _"Why are there so many scared people ?" Luke asked after a moment. David sat by his side._

 _"I don't know." He admitted. He wasn't sure if this was the right time to ask Luke about what he'd said._

 _"So, mom thinks the baby might be a girl ." David said. "That should be interesting." Luke smiled. "Would you like that?"_

 _"I guess." He didn't sound that excited. "Is it going to hurt mom?"_

 _"The baby? No, of course not. She'll be yelling at me, probably but no. Do you remember when Max was born?" Luke nodded. "it won't be that different."_

 _Luke didn't reply . David tried to reach for him in the corners of his mind. But all he saw was what he'd been dreaming about lately._

 _And it scared the hell out of him._

 _"Luke?" He asked. "Is that why you asked about the baby today? You think that will happen?"_

 _"You won't let it, would you?" He asked, moving to sit on his lap. He was crying. He cradled him close._

 _David froze. He'd better call Cary._

* * *

 ** _TBC_**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Romance Of The Mind**

 **David felt lost without Sydney. She did too. Their relationship had always been one in which they could function, Safe in the corners of their mind.**

 **Until now.**

 **Chapter 2**

David loved watching Sydney sleep. She looked so happy, inside her mind, where she didn't have to worry about her power. He wished he could touch her though.

Especially after what had happened the day before.

It had been the first time they'd been together, intimate, outside their minds.

And it was thrilling and wonderful. He'd never felt anything like that with anyone.

His relationship with Syd transpired beyond anything the two of them were able to comprehend.

"Good morning." He hadn't noticed she was awake.

"Morning you," David said. "How'd you sleep?"

"I had the most wonderful dream," she told him. "It was pretty sexy too."

He beamed. "I don't think it was a dream baby." He countered playfully.

Sydney blushed. "I've been thinking…"

"Yes?" She moved closer to him.

Yet, he couldn't touch her. "What about?"

"Your eyes," Sydney said. David arched an eyebrow. He felt utterly hurt. His manhood was at least. Sydney laughed.

"Don't worry stud. That was pretty perfect, everything I'd imagined and more."

He blushed. "You even liked the part where I…" he glanced at her knowingly.

"Especially that part," she felt the sudden urge to kiss him. "Babe,"

He knew what she wanted.

They both closed their eyes, hands and lips were instantly connected.

They no longer had a white room as it brought them horrible memories. Instead David had created one, a hotel room, with an amazing view of the city below them.

It had been a fantasy of Syd's.

They were already naked so it didn't take long for them to be entangled with each other after a wave of passion had rushed through.

"Babe," Sydney touched his chin softly as he stole a chaste kiss. "I'm serious about the eyes. I was dreaming about a little baby and how his eyes were like yours."

They'd been careful. She didn't want to end up pregnant so soon.

But it was something that didn't escape her.

Especially now that she was aware she could be intimate with him that way. He was a powerful mutant to say the least.

But she doubted if David was able to get her pregnant through his abilities alone.

"I don't know Syd, I mean I know we said we'd talk about it," David told her. "But…"

"Isn't that what we're doing?" She inquired.

David smiled softly. "I just couldn't live with myself if he got to it, to the baby," he said bitterly.

"That's not gonna happen baby, we're killing her first, we won't let what happened to you, happen again."

* * *

" _David?" Sydney asked. "Is Luke okay?"_

 _"He's fine, just another bad dream," he slipped back into bed, Sydney eyed him for a moment._

 _"There's more, babe, what aren't you telling me?"_

 _David sighed. "Have you taken it yet?"_

 _"No, not tonight," she glanced over her shoulder._

 _The shot was easier now than it had been back then; Cary had made it accessible and available for them._

 _It was just like an insulin pump. "David, talk to me," She took the small device in her hand._

 _"Do it." he whispered. She moved her hand to her own accord._

 _He was soon attacking her lips._

 _"Babe, I'm serious." she held her breath. Pregnancy made all her senses spike up._

 _"So am I," He touched her belly for a moment. "Someone is awake,"_

 _The baby kicked._

 _"How did you…"_

 _"I can feel him or her in there," David said. "She's happy daddy can get close to mommy."_

 _"She?"_

 _"I'm just guessing," he teased her. He held his hand to her stomach for a moment. "Stand up."_

 _Sydney rolled her eyes at him._

 _"Do it," He said as she pushed the covers aside, he offered his hand so she could stand._

 _"Do you remember when we found out you were pregnant with Luke?" He asked. They were standing in front of a full body mirror._

 _"Yes, I was terrified," Sydney admitted shyly. He stood behind her, touching her belly as he watched her._

 _"But you wanted him so much," David said softly, kissing her neck._

 _"I wanted him to have your eyes," she frowned. "Is there something wrong with the baby? Does it have to do with Luke?"_

 _David didn't have the heart to tell her what he'd seen. "No." He kissed the back of her neck. "Everything is fine."_

 _It took Sydney all her self restrain to keep her eyes open as he had his way with her._

 _Children or not she wouldn't change it for the world._

* * *

" _He told you he saw that?" Cary asked as David had transported himself to Cary's lab._

 _"I saw it too," David admitted. "What do you think it means?"_

 _Cary eyed him for a moment. "It could mean nothing, fear of being replaced."_

 _"How?" David asked. "He's gone through it before. He didn't have those dreams or visions with Max. "_

 _Cary sighed. Luke had similar abilities to David's. Both were empaths, yet he doubted the little boy was able to see the future._

 _He hoped not. "I'd have to run some tests, just to be sure we're not dealing with some sort of mutation of his powers."_

 _David had hoped to avoid coming to Summerland altogether. He wasn't about to tell Syd Luke had been dreaming of her dying._

 _God, he couldn't even Fathom the idea of it. Or the look on Luke's face as he understood what was happening._

 _"David?" Cary asked._

 _"You can't tell Sydney about this," he told him."I'll bring Luke but she can't know about it, I don't want her to worry. "_

 _Cary nodded slowly. "How do you plan on doing that?"_

 _"I have my ways," David smiled grimly. "I'll be here tonight."_

* * *

 _"Babe?" Sydney asked. David opened his eyes. "Are you okay?" She was making dinner for the boys. David smiled._

 _"You look very cute doing that," He said. He was meditating, hovering just above the ground._

 _That came in handy when doing chores, but then again, so did having super powers._

 _"What?"_

 _"Being a mom." Sydney blushed. Even after all these years, he still was the sweetest._

 _The father of her children._

 _"You don't look so bad yourself," she said with a shy smile. "Those boys adore you."_

 _David smiled again. He hated lying to her. "Not as much as they love their Mommy."_

 _He hated having to drag Luke to Cary's lab and treat him like a subject for an experiment. "Syd, I..."_

 _She hissed in pain. He arched an eyebrow. "Syd?"_

 _"She's kicking a lot." He could see she was in pain. "I hope she doesn't have super strength or something..."_

 _He grimaced. "Here, sit." Placing his feet on the floor, he pulled a chair over._

 _"Thank you," she said sweetly. "You're also a good husband."_

 _No he wasn't._

 _Dinner came and went without a hitch. David tried to focus on whatever the kids said. Sydney taught them both at home. He worked for a customer service agency remotely._

 _They couldn't afford to have someone finding them._

 _"Daddy, did you hear me?" Max asked._

 _"I'm sorry, what?" Max lowered his face. "Sorry buddy, daddy is just not feeling so good right now."_

 _Syd caught his eye from across the table. She stared but he didn't say anything._

 _God, she was going to hate him._

* * *

 _She was pregnant._

 _Sydney Barrett, the girl who couldn't be touched, was pregnant._

 _And it hadn't been a miracle. Just good old fashioned conception._

 _No, she corrected herself. It was just that: A miracle._

 _She and David were having a baby._

 _"David?" She asked later that night. He was lying next to her in the bed. "Are you awake?"_

 _He groaned softly. "What is it?"_

 _Sydney bit her lip. "Get up."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Come on," she grabbed the scarf they used to hold hands. "Babe!"_

 _"Fine, don't get whiny with me." He could see her roll her eyes. Were those tears? "Syd I'm sorry..."_

 _Oh crap, it was that time of the month, wasn't it?_

 _She ignored him. "Let's just go."_

 _And so they did. To the kitchen. "I'm hungry." she admitted._

 _This was getting crazier by the minute. She handed him a spoon and took two plates out. "I don't think a midnight snack is a good idea, unless..."_

 _Oh David just shut up._

 _She sat across him. The syringe and a small vial of Cary's treatment in front of him as she motioned for him to take a bite._

 _She did too._

 _She watched him for a second. "Syd, what's going on?"_

 _"Promise you won't get mad?"_

 _She was bribing him. "Sydney..."_

 _She finally gave in. Taking the drug, she took his hand. "Remember how you're always saying you won't read my thoughts unless I want you to?"_

 _He nodded. "Do you want me to...why?" He asked curiously._

 _Because I'm pregnant. You're going to be a daddy._

 _He heard her voice echoing in his mind._

* * *

" _Luke, buddy, wake up," David said softly, rocking the boy gently._

 _"Daddy." Luke rubbed his eyes._

 _David sat on the bed. "Remember how I told you I was going to make the nightmares go away?"_

 _He nodded. "And protect Mommy."_

 _"Yes, but I need you to promise me something... This has to be our secret for now, okay?"_

 _The little boy nodded and David's heart broke a little._

 _ **TBC**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A Romance Of The Mind**

 **David felt lost without Sydney. She did too. Their relationship had always been one in which they could function, Safe in the corners of their mind.**

 **Until now.**

 **Thanks to Kelly for the awesome support to my grammatical incompetence. Story gets a little complicated, be sure to keep up!**

 **Chapter 3**

"Luke?" It wasn't until Katie touched his shoulder that he realized she was calling his name. "Hello, earth to Luke?"

"Oh, sorry." he said, running his fingers trough his messy hair.

"I thought you were supposed to be able to read minds?" Katie mused.

"I switch if off. People have gone crazy for less than that, I know what it used to do to my Dad when he was younger," Luke said.

"Oh," She smiled. "I didn't know you could do that. That's cool."

"I guess." Luke smiled. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Oh no, bad temper, remember the bad temper.

"Well, Professor Summers was looking for you," Katie said. "And so was your Dad."

"Oh, alright, sorry," He said, he grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "See you Katie!"

Katie sighed. Could Luke ever treat her differently? She didn't think he'd ever notice her.

"You do know that girl has the biggest crush on you, right?" a voice said behind him.

"Paulie, I was wondering when you'd show up," Luke said in annoyance. His friend had turned into a minuscule form and was now enjoying the ride on his shoulder.

"Oh Lucas," He said in a high- pitched voice. "What I am always telling you, I'm your inner voice. You must listen to me."

"No thanks, I already have too many voices in my head," Luke said. "What do you want anyway?"

"Is there some special reason you're heading to professor Summer's direction. Maybe you could intercede for me and get him to extend my paper?"

Luke sighed. "And why would I do that?"

"Duh, I'm just best friend. It's a requirement." He said.

"A requirement would be to do your homework Paulie, leave me out of it," Luke said.

"Oh please, you're practically royalty at this school." Paulie jumped down and into his normal size. "No one messes with you, specially not teachers."

"You'd be surprised." Luke muttered as he crossed one last patio to reach the main house. Everyone would be having lunch now.

Suddenly he heard a loud crash on the far side near the bushes.

"What the —"

* * *

"Would you just talk to me?" Sydney pleaded. "I want to help you deal with whatever you're going through."

"Of course you do, but the thing is, you can't... this isn't just about The Shadow King Syd. It's bigger than that." He sighed as he jumped down a few steps to speed up.

"Babe, you and I get lost together, remember?" Sydney said.

David stopped cold. "We're not in inside our mind Syd. That doesn't work here."

"Oh so, we can only work inside our minds?" she said, her temper building, "That's crap and you know it!"

"Oh no, Mom and Dad are fighting," Ptonomy said. Kerry laughed.

"I thought Melanie and Oliver were Mom and Dad?" Kerry put in. "That is, if we get Oliver back."

"No, definitely those two," Ptonomy said. "Hey! What's up with the both of you?"

"Stay out of it," David warned. "And that goes for you too," he told Syd. "You are too important."

"You save yourself, remember? Not me, not the world. You."

"I can't do that. Even if we find Lenny and Oliver, we don't know what that body is capable of. If Oliver is anything like me—"

"David," Sydney grabbed his face gently. "Look at me, we're ending Lenny, okay? Oliver… whoever we have to so we can be free, get our happy ending, right?"

David shut his eyes as she touched him. "I'm beginging to think there's no such thing as a happy ending."

And he pulled away from her.

* * *

 _"What are we doing?" David asked. Luke sat in Cary's exam room as David had done many times before._

 _That kid was braver than he was, that was for sure. All he wanted to do was save Sydney, and so did David, but at what cost? If Sydney knew the truth, she'd insist on saving the boys and the baby no matter what._

 _And David wasn't sure he could go through with it._

 _"You and Luke are doing some memory work...of sorts as this isn't a memory exactly but... You're getting to the bottom of this dream and whatever it means."_

 _David pulled Cary to the side. "I know what it means, and I don't want Luke to relieve it. I became pretty messed up when I realized just how twisted my life had been. I don't want that for him."_

 _"I'm afraid there's no other way to access it. Luke is our door to it, you are an empath and that's why you two share a mental link but otherwise I can't test it trough you. It doesn't work like that."_

 _"Make it work! I don't care what you have to do..."_

 _Cary took a step back as things in the lab began to rattle. "David..."_

 _"Dad?" Luke said softly. "I can do it."_

 _David turned to look at his son. He looked like him, physically, but like Sydney, had the tendency to be brave, braver than your average seven year old. "You said we'd help Mom and I want to do it."_

 _"Luke, this isn't the way..."_

 _"Cary just said it was, you can't do everything," His matching blue eyes were shining and David couldn't help to give in. He mostly didn't understand why Syd had insisted she wished the baby had his eyes, but now he understood._

 _"Do it," He told Cary, He pulled a chair next to Luke and took his hand. "I'm right here buddy."_

* * *

"Dad?" Luke said as he touched the arm of the man lying on the ground.

"He does look like your Dad, but younger..." Paulie pointed out.

David opened his eyes slowly as the sun hit him on the face. "Where am I?"

He sat up as Luke offered him his hand. "It's okay, you sort of landed. Did you hit your head?"

"No, I don't think... wait, did you call me Dad?"

"Yeah, you... you look like Mr. Haller for sure," Paulie said. "Or are you a bad guy?"

"Bad guys don't just talk to you Paulie, don't be stupid," Luke said.

"You'd be surprised." David said, his mind remembering all the mind tricks Lenny had played on him.

"Okay, yeah, you're definitely his son," Paulie said.

"Ignore Paulie, he's got a big mouth," Luke said. "Here." He helped David up swiftly. "So you time traveled?"

"I guess that's what happened, although Cary said it was very unlikely," David said.

"We're mutants; I don't think that's a word we should use, sir," Paulie put in. David glanced over at Luke.

"And what exactly is your superpower?" he asked mockingly.

"Oh great, he even sounds like your Dad," Paulie sighed. He turned into his tiny form.

"To be honest, I prefer him that way," Luke said. David smirked. "So, you're going to tell me why you're here?"

"Where is here exactly?" David asked.

"Grandpa's school for the gifted, rather said mutants." Luke said. David's eyes went wide.

* * *

 **Uh- oh in what mess did David get himself into! And does David from the past already knows professor X? Is Syd alive in teenage Luke's timeline?**

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Romance Of The Mind**

 **David felt lost without Sydney. She did too. Their relationship had always been one in which they could function, Safe in the corners of their mind.**

 **Until now.**

 **Thanks to Kelly for the awesome support to my grammatical incompetence.**

 **Chapter 5:**

 _He was sure Syd would kill him. She was squeezing his hand so hard._

 _"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She screamed in pain as Melanie urged her to push. Kerry was there too, eyeing David._

 _Amy have her brother a encouraging smile._

 _David gulped. He placed his lips close to Syd's forehead. "I know you do baby, but right now you gotta push."_

 _"How about we switch so you can know how painful this is?" Sydney spat._

 _"I'd shut up David. She means it," Kerry said._

 _"Focus Sydney, we're almost done. Just one more," Melanie said sweetly._

 _"I can't. I'm too tired."_

 _"It will be so worth it. Trust me." The older woman said. "One more."_

 _"David…"_

 _"I'm right here Syd."_

 _Sydney smiled weakly. "I don't hate you,"_

 _"Yeah, I figured you didn't," David said cheekily._

 _"Shut up…" Sydney said._

 _And she pushed._

 _David swore he'd never heard something as beautiful as when he heard that cry for the first time._

 _"It's a boy…" they heard Melanie say. "You did great Sydney."_

 _Syd laughed. Tears in her eyes._

 _"David, come here." Amy told him. "Here." She showed him how to cut the cord. "Congratulations Daddy."_

 _David held his son for the first time as he glanced at Sydney._

 _Right now, deadly enemies and imminent threats were forgotten. "Hi there little baby. You're so cute."_

 _Sydney laughed._

 _"Here, let's get him checked out." Amy took the baby away for a moment. She placed him carefully on Sydney's arms. "Congratulations. He's beautiful."_

 _Sydney was lost for words. All she could see was her son._

 _This beautiful tiny person she and David had created._

 _"I want to, can you call Cary? I want to know if I can touch him? I don't…"_

 _"Of course." Melanie said. Everyone left the room._

 _"Look at him. He's so perfect…smells so good."_

 _Sydney suddenly felt a rush of fears, she was wearing her gloves. She wanted to take them off and feel her baby's skin against herself._

 _She had not taken the shot today._

 _"Syd?"_

 _"What if it doesn't work for him? What if I can't…"_

 _"Hey, no." He told her. "We'll figure it out."_

 _The little baby squirmed in her arms, yawning._

 _His bright blue eyes staring up at both his parents._

 _"He's got your eyes." Sydney said emotionally. "Hi baby, what's your name?"_

 _"What about Luke? It was one of the names on the list," David said. "You said you loved it."_

 _Stupid list they had fought about for weeks._

 _"Luke… Luke David Haller. Has a nice ring to it, huh? What do you think Luke?"_

 _The baby yawned again._

 _"I think he agrees." David said sweetly. The baby reached for him, taking his finger._

 _"Welcome Luke, we love you so much…"_

* * *

David couldn't phantom a world in which Sydney Barrett didn't exist. Luke refused to look at him.

David ran his fingers through his face. "What happened?"

"You refuse to talk about it. Your other you, I mean. Cary said it hadn't been the baby…"

"Did she…."

"You kept insisting it was a girl didn't you?" Luke asked.

"It was what Sydney wanted." David said to himself more than to him.

"Hannah is fine. She's… she looks like Mom."

David froze. "Like Max, she doesn't seem to have come into her abilities yet. Grandpa says most people start when they're in their teens, but like me, there are exceptions."

It was too much to handle at once. "Dad?"

"I still can't believe she's gone…" David said. "How long has it been?"

"8 years next week," Luke said. "Hannah's birthday."

David laid his head back against the wall.

His eyes were watery. "You kept your promise, you know?" Luke told him. "You saved Hannah. Mom was happy."

"How… how did we get here?" David said after a moment.

"After Mom died, you sort of lost it. So aunt Amy offered to take us in. You were the one that found Grandpa. You came back 3 months later saying we had to move. I've asked you about it but you still haven't told me."

"I'm a mess, huh?" David asked bitterly.

"Not so much anymore." Luke admitted. "You okay? I know it's a lot."

"Haller!" Paulie came back. "Your grandpa is still looking for you."

Great. Now David was meant to meet the man who'd been a mystery to him his whole life.

"You go, I just… I'm not ready to deal with it yet."

Luke smiled. He'd told him how to get to his room and stay there until he'd come to get him.

David kept his head down. He was sure he'd blend in somehow with all the kids around him.

Until…

"Daddy?" He didn't want to turn around. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

She'd moved closer now. "Did you change clothes?" Her voice was full of curiosity.

He couldn't help to want to look at her. She was beautiful, just like her mother. She had her sassiness and spirit too for sure. David felt pain in his chest.

"I did, I'm on a secret mission," the little girl's eyes went wide.

"Oh, with the X Men?" She asked.

 _The what?_

* * *

 _"So, you're sure?" Sydney asked._

 _"Positive," Cary said. "He shares traits of your DNA, so he is sort of his own shield against your power."_

 _Sydney smiled._

 _"You should get him to do the finger grabbing thing. It's great." David said as Cary handed Luke back to her._

 _Sydney took her glove off carefully. She touched his hand slowly, as if he was the most precious thing ever made._

 _He was her happy ending._

 _"Hi handsome. You look so much like your daddy, don't you?"_

 _"I think he looks like you," David said._

 _"Nah, he's all you." Syd smiled. "Thank you babe, thank you for wanting to do this with me."_

 _And there it was. Luke had reached for her hand. Sydney had never felt such deep love as she did in that moment._

 _"Cary told us the good news," Amy said. "You you want to try and feed him?"_

 _"Should I leave?" David asked, which made Sydney panic._

 _"No, you're fine. It's not like you haven't seen it before."_

 _David went red._

 _As Sydney fed Luke for the first time and she watched her, David understood this was worth fighting for. Just like his father had done for him._

* * *

 ** _I battled for a while whether to have the baby survive or not. What did you think?_**


End file.
